1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to oil-sand separation.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
When crude oil is produced from an oil well, the production stream contains a mixture of oil, gas, water and solids (usually referred to as sand) in varying proportions. The oil, water and gas are separated from one another in one or more pressure vessels commonly known as production separators. If sand is present in significant concentrations, it settles to the bottom of the production separators, where it accumulates, reducing the efficiency of separation of the fluids. The sand is commonly removed by jetting of the production separator, whereby water is introduced into the base of the vessel at high pressure through multiple nozzles. The sand is fluidised to form a slurry and flows out of the production separator through sand outlets provided for the purpose. This sand is often contaminated with oil and needs to be cleaned before it can be disposed of. In addition, the jetted sand slurry, may also contain large quantities of dissolved gas which must be released. It is the aim of this invention to provide an efficient method and compact apparatus for removing this oil and gas.